Hitherto, rubber gloves have been made widely by dip-forming a composition comprising a natural rubber latex having incorporated therein a vulcanizer such as sulfur. However, there has been a problem such that, when they are brought into contact with a human body, an allergy reaction develops due to natural proteins contained in natural rubber latex, which causes efflorescence and itching.
Dip-formed articles have also been made by dip-forming a composition comprising a carboxylic acid-modified nitrile copolymer latex such as an acrylic acid-acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer latex, having incorporated therein zinc oxide as a vulcanizer. The resulting dip-formed articles exhibit enhanced oil resistance and mechanical strength, and thus, are suitable for use in a working area using an organic solvent, but have a problem in that their feeling is rough.
To obviate these problems, there have been proposed a method of dip-forming alternately a natural rubber latex and a carboxylic acid-modified nitrile copolymer latex to superposed rubber layers; and a method of dip-forming a mixed latex of a carboxylic acid-modified nitrile copolymer latex with a carboxylic acid-modified synthetic cis-1,4-polyisoprene rubber latex (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. S53-101036). The former method using a natural rubber latex still has a problem of development of a protein allergy. Both methods use different kinds of latexes, and thus, the production step is complicated and the productivity is low.